Schools hire new treasurer

Yellow Springs Board of Education members unanimously voted to approve the hiring of a new treasurer for the Yellow Springs schools at the board’s March 11 meeting. Dawn Weller will begin service to the district on April 5, 2010, at an annual salary of $99,700 on a three-year contract. Weller comes to the district after 13 years as treasurer of the Greenon Local School District in Enon.

Weller was chosen from the pool of candidates for her depth of experience, a quality that board members emphasized in the search process as especially important given the number of new school administrators taking office next year, said board president Sean Creighton.

“She was outstanding. It was her experience that was of critical importance for the board,” Creighton said. “She has solid knowledge in school finance, levies and strategic planning.”

According to the Ohio Department of Education, Greenon Local has a student enrollment just under 2,000, and spends about $8,000 per year per student with a total budget of about $15 million. Yellow Springs has a student enrollment just under 700, and spends about $11,000 per year per student with a budget of about $8 million.

While the move is a big change for Weller, she is pleased to join a district known for its strong programs and diverse educational offerings, she said in an interview this week. Because many Greenon students choose to open enroll in Yellow Springs schools, she feels familiar with the programs offered by the district and the community support behind them.

But as different as the two school districts may be in size, they face similar challenges, Weller said. Like Yellow Springs, Greenon is up for a levy in May — but Greenon is seeking additional monies while the Yellow Springs levy is a replacement at the same rate. The recession has hit everyone hard, she said, but due to a budget surplus Yellow Springs has a little more time to think about how to react to the loss of revenue.

“Treasurers work in conjunction with the superintendent and administrators,” she said, noting she operates with an open book policy. “But what is best for the students comes first, and then I work to find a way to fund it.”

Weller graduated from Wright State University with degrees in accounting and finance in 1993, after which she worked for Springfield Clark JVS as assistant treasurer for three years. Following that, she became the treasurer at Greenon in 1996 until the current time. Weller, who has four children, lives in Springfield and plans to continue living there, she said.

Weller said she and former treasurer Joy Kitzmiller will be in contact during the transitional period, and, after becoming familiar with the district’s books, she looks forward to building rapport with the new administrative team.